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Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs braised in a rich and flavorful cream sauce. A combination of ground beef, pork, and warm spices make for a comforting and satisfying dish. Serve as an easy appetizer or heartier meal paired with mashed potatoes or egg noodles.

Hi there! It’s Jessica Gavin, Certified Culinary Scientist and I’m delighted to share this comforting slow cooker Swedish meatballs recipe with you. There are three key elements to tender and juicy meatballs. This includes selecting the right combination of meat, adding a panade, and simmering over a long period of time under controlled heat. I’ve tested out numerous batches so that you have just the right texture and flavor each time you make the dish.

Using an electric slow cooker is the perfect vessel for braising meat over a long period of time. Compared to a stove top, the heating is more consistent and never gets above the boiling point to prevent overcooking. The spiced meatballs simmer in a lightly thickened beef broth, then cream is added at the end of cooking to provide extra richness. Each fork-tender meatball bursts with a hint of nutmeg and allspice. It’s a satisfying meal that requires minimal preparation with virtually hands-off cooking.

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Key Ingredients for Swedish Meatballs

To create meatballs that could easily be cut with a spoon, but have a nice chew, equal amounts of lean ground beef and pork are used. The pork adds a rich sausage flavor and springy texture. Adding a panade, a starchy mixture of panko bread crumbs, eggs, and cream to the meat mixture helps to bind and lock the flavorful juices in each meatball. Grated onions add savory notes without the crunch you would experience from roughly chopped pieces.

What makes this version unique compared to traditional Italian meatballs is the addition of warm spices typically used in baking. The grated nutmeg and allspice complement the creamy sauce, so when you eat them together, the flavors meld and infuse to create a bechamel sauce taste. It’s an unexpectedly appetizing combination, highlighting the flavors of fall and winter.

How to Make Slow Cooker Swedish Meatballs

Brown the meat first to develop a more sturdy texture, attractive color, and add flavor.

Gradually cooking the meatballs for about 2 hours on the high setting, or 4 to 5 hours on low, then its ready to devour! You can keep the meatballs in the pot on the warm setting until ready to serve. The slow cooker method of Swedish meatballs is super convenient for making it ahead of time for dinner or parties.

I like to serve this dish with homemade mashed potatoes or wide egg noodle pasta. Trust me, you’re going to want to pour the sauce over everything, and I’ve designed the recipe to make a generous amount. Once you make this once, it will be on the weekly dinner menu that will be a breeze to whip up!

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Jessica Gavin

Jessica is a Certified Food and Culinary Scientist. She's also a culinary school graduate and a teacher at heart. Jessica loves nothing more than unraveling the science behind better, healthier cooking and sharing that know-how with her readers at JessicaGavin.com

I’m rather new to your site. I’m so excited about your recipes!!! They are wonderful! I wanted to say “thank you” for the tested reliability of your recipes. I will remain a fan I’m sure. Keep them coming! My husband was so impressed with the homemade saucy pork chops, he just couldn’t stop raving about them. Meatballs are next! You are making my job easier and I like that.

I love Swedish Meatballs and want to try this recipe! Step 3 in the instructions states: “In a large bowl add pork, grated onion, garlic, baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, allspice, and black pepper”, yet the baking powder is not listed in the ingredients. How much baking powder should I use in this step? Thank you.

Thank you for taking the effort to actually make the gravy/sauce from scratch. So many other recipes for Swedish meatballs use canned cream of mushroom soup. I don’t need to tell you how much better the end product will taste when made with fresh ingredients. I now feel confident that I can make this for my daughter’s birthday party this weekend using fresh and basic ingredients!

Your recipe is lovely but you didn’t specify how much baking powder to use or if I’m wrong and just didn’t read it, forgive me, they were still very good. Thank you so much for sharing, Sincerely, Sandra Racine